News

A new report finds that bribery substantially boosts U.S. student performance on standardized tests, leading researchers to conclude that lack of motivation, not just lack of ability, has contributed to the United States' middling standings in international rankings based on standardized test scores.

How good are your students at solving multiplication problems? You can find out by entering them in the upcoming Arcademics Cup. That takes place online, is free to enter and includes prizes like trophies, pizza parties, tablets and subscriptions to the company's education games.

As the software creators explained, they undertook the work specifically to address political propaganda bots, which are intended to weaken and subvert American political discourse. These bots are automated or semi-automated Twitter accounts that live behind the façade of a real person and that often retweet other content instead of tweeting their own, especially fake news.

Girls Who Code will be reaching an additional thousand girls this summer with accelerated versions of its coding lessons. "Girls Who Code Campus," as the new program is called, will kick off in six cities for middle and high school students.

Sponsor: Toshiba America Foundation
Award: Two categories: Up to $5,000 and more than $5,000
Number of Awards: Not specified
Application Deadline: Up to $5,000 awarded on a rolling basis; Feb. 1 deadline for applications for more than $5,000

Sponsor: Entertainment Software Association Foundation
Award: Not specified, but suggested upper limit for first-time applicants is $50,000
Number of Awards: Not specified
Application Deadline: Letters of inquiry due May 15 (submission period opens April 14)

Sponsor: SparkFun
Award: STEM/STEAM-releated prize packages, event and team sponsorships and other types of support
Number of Awards: Varies
Application Deadline: Ongoin: third Thursday of each month; awards announced on the last business day of each month

Deadline: Ongoing
Award: No more than 10 percent of an organization's annual operating expenses or 25 percent of the total budget for the project being funded; awards have ranged from the hundreds to the millions of dollars.
Number of Awards: Varies
Qualification: Project should "directly serve or impact children living in urban poverty, particularly in the areas of education, family economic stability (including microfinance) and childhood health."

THE News Update is a thrice-weekly newsletter covering the latest in technology trends, tools, and usage for K-12 instruction and administration. Opinion pieces by leading technology experts and visionaries provide insight on a variety of critical issues. News, announcements, and need-to-know statistics give readers a quick look at timely news and events affecting the education community. Please direct any questions or comments about THE News Update to editorial@thejournal.com

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